Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation

The report identifies critical environment and security risks in the Southern Caucasus, focusing on environmental degradation in conflict zones, cross-border resource management, and rapid urban growth in capital cities. It details national vulnerabilities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, including Soviet industrial legacies, seismic risks, and water scarcity, while proposing a multi-pillar work programme for vulnerability assessment, policy development, and institutional capacity building.

• The Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative identifies three primary linkages between environmental stress and social tension in the Southern Caucasus: environmental degradation and resource access in conflict areas, management of cross-border concerns (water, hazards, and industrial/military legacies), and rapid population growth in capital cities.
• In conflict-affected regions such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh, environmental degradation and the lack of independent monitoring of natural resource extraction are factors that may deepen existing contentions.
• The Kura-Araks/Araz river system is a critical source of fresh water for all three countries, and its shared management is fundamental to regional security, particularly for Azerbaijan, which depends on it for potable water for over half its population.
• The region faces significant risks from natural hazards, specifically high seismic activity and earthquakes, which could lead to large-scale pollution if critical industrial, energy, or nuclear infrastructure is damaged.
• Rapid, unmanaged growth in the capital cities of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia is outpacing infrastructure for waste, water, and transport, creating social pressures and health risks that could lead to violence or criminality.
• Armenia's energy security is heavily reliant on the Medzamor nuclear power plant, which provides 36% of the republic's electricity, despite being a source of international security concern and regional tension.
• Azerbaijan's economy is highly dependent on Caspian oil, which creates risks of a 'resource curse' and significant environmental pollution, while the legal status and demarcation of the Caspian Sea remain contested.
• Georgia faces severe environmental threats from illegal logging driven by energy crises and the legacy of abandoned Soviet military facilities, some of which contain radioactive materials or landmines.
• Soviet-era industrial legacies, including abandoned mines and chemical plants, continue to pollute soil and water across the region, with specific hotspots in the Lori-Tavush region of Armenia and the Rustavi and Zestafoni complexes in Georgia.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2004). Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_transforming_risk_en.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation. 2004. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_transforming_risk_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation |date=2004 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_transforming_risk_en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2004environment, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2004}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/envsec_transforming_risk_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }